Jyoti Sagar has been practising law for over 50 years. He founded a corporate commercial practice – J. Sagar Associates (JSA) – in New Delhi in 1991 as a solo practitioner. JSA is a Tier 1 national firm with over 675 professionals in seven cities in India. Jyoti also founded K&S Partners in 1994. K&S is ranked amongst the top Intellectual Property Law boutiques with over 200 professionals in seven offices in India.
Jyoti led teams on significant assignments for both firms, providing both hands-on legal advice as well as strategic inputs. He has extensive experience in a wide range of practice areas, including intellectual property, foreign investment, joint ventures, and technology transfers. He has, over the years, worked on several policy issues and has been associated with various committees of the Government of India and Chambers of Commerce.
Jyoti is regarded as a pioneer in bringing about a paradigm shift in law firm ownership and management structures in India. Both K&S and JSA have unique features for Indian law firms, including a ‘no family’ rule, admittance to the partnership without goodwill buy-in, retirement age for partners, innovative partner compensation mechanisms, and shared vision, mission, and expressed core values.
Jyoti is the Associate President of the Society of Indian Law Firms. He is a member of the Advisory Committee and Chair of the Finance & Corporate Affairs Committee of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association. He is Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of India and the Executive Board of ICC India. He is an independent director of Larsen & Toubro Limited.
He is actively associated with the voluntary sector. He currently serves as Trustee of Genesis Foundation, which provides critical medical assistance to underprivileged children with congenital heart defects); Trustee of Laj Jagdish Foundation (sponsor of Sambhav, a centre for differently-abled children from slums of South Delhi). He supports Deepalaya (engaged in the education of slum children in the National Capital Region). He also serves on the Board of Governors, The Scindia School, Gwalior.
Jyoti graduated with Honours in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He was conferred the C.F. Andrews Distinguished Alumnus Award by the College in 2015.
He received his bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Delhi in 1975. He has also attended the ‘Mergers & Acquisition Programme’ at the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania. He is passionate about promoting plain English in the language of the law!
Jyoti has over the years received many accolades and recognitions, some of which are mentioned below:
The Asia Pacific Legal 500 – ‘widely respected’ & ‘immensely versatile and experienced’. He is rated as ‘one of India’s most esteemed lawyers’, who is ‘highly regarded’ in his field. He also has been listed for the past 5 years consecutively, as a leading individual in two categories including Corporate / M&A and Projects & Energy.
Chambers & Partners – “a brilliant lawyer” and a “top bracket corporate law expert,” peers and clients agree. He has several years’ experience advising foreign and domestic clients on corporate, capital markets and financing transactions.’
Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers – person ‘credited with “real charisma and flair” and a “hands-on, inspiring style.”
PLC Which Lawyer? – a ‘highly recommended individual’ in three categories namely – Intellectual Property, Corporate / M&A.
Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Asian Patent Attorneys Association
- Delhi High Court Bar Association
- International Trademark Association
- Inter-Pacific Bar Association
- Society of Indian Law Firms
- Supreme Court of India Bar
Publications
Jyoti speaks regularly at international and national conferences and workshops on topics ranging from Corporate and Intellectual Property laws to infrastructure projects, government policy, foreign investment and the economy.
Education
- B.A. (Economics Honours), St. Stephen’s College, Delhi (1972)
- LL.B., University of Delhi (1975)
Languages
- English
- Hindi
- Punjabi
